In Spanish-speaking areas, a vecino is nowadays a neighbor, or a resident of a place.

In older times throughout the Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

, a person who has a house and home in a town or city and contributes to its expenses, not necessarily living near to the person referring to him; a local figure of some worth but not an aristocrat, often the encomendero holding land in the surrounding countryside with a house within a nearby city. A person with a house in a place that he contributes to can be a vecino although not currently living there. In the old sense closer to "freeman", but not "neighbor".

In the American colonies a vecino was sometimes a person of relatively high status, more than just free.